Stranded
by Violetrose25
Summary: After a mission gone bad, the Avengers find themselves stranded on an Island. They have to learn to survive the harsh sun, limited supplies, and most of all... each-other. Friendships break down and romances spring up, how much will their relationships change! (I won nothing! M for smut and whatever else comes along).
1. Chapter 1

They had to admit, this was one hell of a situation. Tony rubbed his head absent-mindedly as the pain throbbed in the back of his brain. Clint was unconscious, sprawled out on the wet sand. Bruce was also out, he demanded to be hit up with sedative when the quinjet started to go down. Smart move, really. They'd all probably be dead right now if it weren't for that.

Steve and Natasha were inside, assessing the damage to the aircraft. The thing looked... well... destroyed... to be honest. One wing was gone completely, the engine was _oozing_ smoke, OH, and thing was in two pieces. Did he forget to mention that? Yeah, things were looking pretty bleak. Tony sat down quietly, hearing the quiet string of curses coming from the Russian as she rummaged about the wreckage.

GOD, the pain was killing him. It was like having Thor repeatedly whack him with that goddamn hammer. And where was the Almighty God of Thunder right now? Wading in the ocean, looking for the weapon in question. For some reason, it wasn't coming to him when he called. So great. Could thing get any worse?

As if on cue, Natashalie and Captain Asshole came trudging out.

"The damage is irreparable, unfortunately. Aside from the obvious, pretty much all the equipment inside is destroyed. The navigation system is out, so we have no idea where we are." Nat explained.

"Plus the radio is missing." Steve added timidly.

"Well FUCK!" Tony shouted. "Then we're stranded!"

* * *

_Twenty hours Earlier.._

The six sat around a conference table, Fury standing over them with a pointer and a holographic screen. It showed what appeared to be a large tornado, people fleeing in terror as cars and buildings were swept up.

"We have a hostile reported in London." He stated simply.

"What's he doing?" Steve asked.

"Not he, SHE." Maria Hill corrected, standing opposite of Fury from the screen. "Cora Anderson. Kind of like Stark, really. A scientific prodigy, except... nobody was willing to fund or support her research. She joined the British Royal Air force when she was nineteen, hoping the money would pay for her invention."

"What exactly is this invention?" Clint inquired.

"I was getting to that. Her dream, apparently, was to create a machine that could control the weather-"

"Are you FUCKING kidding me?" Tony interrupted.

"_Stark_-" Steve said sharply.

"Not now, Spangles. Are you being serious right now? A goddamn weather-dominater? What is this, G.I. Joe? Or did we step into one of those old mad-scientist movies from the fifties?"

Fury banged his fist on the table, effectively shutting Tony the hell up. "Now is NOT the time for your attitude, Stark."

The genius threw his hands up innocently.

"As I was _saying-" _Maria began again, throwing a dirty look in Tony's direction. "During her time in the Air Force, something happened to her. According to close friends and co-pilots, she just snapped. After going AWOL for a couple years, she shows back up with a completed weather-maker and bad intentions. Cora has already destroyed most of London and Liverpool, and we need you all to go and bring her in." Maria finally finished.

"Why can't SHIELD handle this on its own?" Natasha asked.

"Don't you think we tried that already?" Fury responded. "You all are our best bet. The woman has Starks' intelligence and Loki's sanity."

"Like some sick, wrong love-child between the two." Clint commented, shivering.

"We really don't need_ that_ image in our heads, thank you very much Barton." Snapped Steve. Ugh, the horror. Especially with Loki's recent escape from prison.

Sighing, the frustrated head agents got down to the heart of things. "You all suit up and fly out._ Immediately_, before the situation gets worse."

* * *

Long story short, somehow the bitch found out, and sent a massive storm to kill them over sea. Now here they were, on this Island out in the middle of Bum-fuck Egypt. It was lucky they all made it out alive. Thor came back, a defeated expression on his face.

"Friends, I believe my Hammer is lost to us." He announced.

"Great." Tony mumbled. "We're stranded and not even the God can save us!"

Considering his beliefs on religion, Tony found that almost funny. Y'know, in a bitter, morbid sort of way. Clint was finally coming to, groaning in what was apparent agony. Nat was the first, of course, to run and check on the poor archer. Tony watched as she helped him to his feet, her normally cold eyes filled with concern.

"I'm fine, Nat." Clint assured, nearly reading her mind. "I just got a concussion... I think. A few cuts and bruises.." He tried to stand fully, only to howl in pain.

"You have a broken leg." Nat observed.

"GAH!" Was his only response.

Natasha quickly sat him down on a dry patch of sand. She gently laid his head back before returning to the others. "Alright, here's what we do. Thor, you scour the Island for signs of life or civilization. And since Clint is out, I also need you to hunt us some food while you're out there."

"Can do, Lady Romanoff." Thor immediately obliged, taking Clints' arrows before heading out.

"Steve, you salvage any supplies or usable parts from the Quinjet." He nodded, immediately heading back to the busted jet.

"Tony, you go check on Bruce. Try to get him up so he can set Clints' leg."

"Whatever you say, bossy-boots."

After giving a mock-salute, Tony ran over to his unconscious best friend. Bruce was lying on his back, helplessly sprawled out amongst the aircraft parts. His glasses were nowhere to be seen, and his clothes were all but gone (not that it was an uncommon occurrence anyway), but otherwise he looked fine. Tony sighed with relief after doing a thorough examination of Bruce's condition.

Regular heart rate, no broken bones, and only a seatbelt shaped bruise across his stomach. Suddenly he heard a groan beneath him.

"Bruce?"

"Tony?"

"Yeah, it's me buddy. How are you?"

"Okay... a bit out of it."

"That's normal for people coming out of drug-induced comas." Tony replied.

"What- where are we?"

Tony shrugged above him. "We don't know."

"Is everyone alright?" Ah, typical Bruce, always worrying about the others.

"Katniss had got a broken leg, and Hammer-time doesn't have the hammer, but otherwise yeah."

Bruce immediately became alert after hearing the words 'broken leg'. "Clint's injured?! Shit, I have to go help him."

Shakily he stood, stumbling back a few steps. "I don't think that's a good idea, Bruce. Give yourself a minute, you're disoriented."

"But Clint-"

"Fuck Clint. Sit your drugged-up ass down before I make you." Tony ordered. Bruce did so, if begrudgingly.

Tony took a minute to fully asses the situation. The radio's nowhere to be seen. Alright, fine. Thor can't fly back for help. Okay, whatever. Clint has a broken leg and is about as useful as an empty sack of potato's. Cool, that's great. Put simply, they were totally and completely FUCKED!

Yippity skippity dippity do, wasn't this just a fine ass day!

AUTHORS' NOTE: HOPE YOU ALL LIKED! THANKS FOR READING!


	2. Chapter 2

The sun, once beating down and unforgiving, had faded into the hazy orange of sunset by the time Thor returned. Slung over his arm was what appeared to be a wild bore, an arrow sticking from its hide. "Friends!" He called.

The five other Avengers turned to see him, all quite glad of his return. Natasha stood up from beside Clint and ran over to the god. "Thor, what do you have to report?"

He sighed. "Alas, there is no trace of human life. This is truly an uninhabited island."

This of course immediately brought the moral down, though nobody had really been expecting other people to be here. It was just something they liked to... you know... hope for. Thor took notice of this, and followed up with:

"However, I do have some good news. There is bountiful animal and plant life, so we shall not go hungry! Plus there is a freshwater lake some miles from this shore. It may be a bit of a hike, but we are not without water."

Upon hearing this part of the report, the other hero's felt a wave of relief. Unfortunately, Natasha and Steve had not been as fruitful in their recovery operation. All they managed to salvage were a few canteens (empty, they might add), five thermal blankets, two de-hydrated food packets, and some bandages. And the bandages immediately went to Clint, so... if Thor had not returned, they'd be shit-out-of-luck.

Tony had been helping Bruce for most of the day, even setting Clints' leg using two sturdy branches and some vines. And, being the genius that he was, Tony was first to ask:

"Okay, question! Point Break, what kind of animals did you see out there?"

"Excuse me?"

"What did you see out there, exactly?" He repeated.

"Aside from the wild beast over my shoulder, I have come across serpents... snakes, as you call them, some form of primate... and many brightly colored birds. Why did you wish to know?" Thor asked, rather curious.

"I thought maybe the animal life might clue us in as to where the hell we are. But, I suppose you weren't the best person to ask. You just gave the most generic description of Island creatures imaginable."

Steve replied: "That's actually not a bad idea."

He hated Starks' guts, most of the time, but Steve could still give credit where credit was due. Besides, this was a very unknown situation. It was best that they took all the good ideas they could get.

"Maybe tomorrow, a couple of us could go out and observe whatever's out there, since Thor can't really tell. Get some water, while we're at it." He suggested.

The others nodded in agreement. "So who's going?"

Clint was decommissioned on all accounts, obviously. Bruce had to stay with him and keep an eye on his condition. Plus The Other Guy kind of got in the way of any kind of mission that didn't involve killing people, so he was out. So that left the other four to decide amongst themselves. Steve watched the way Natasha's eyes continued to flicker back towards her partner, worried and pensive. And Thor had gone out and brought dinner today, so...

"Maybe Tony and I should go."

"Uh, no." Tony replied.

Steve crossed his arms. "Why not?"

"Capsicle... you and I alone for an extended period of time? We'd kill each other!"

The soldier rolled his eyes. "I guess we'll just have to work that out. Petty differences need to be set aside, Stark. For the good of the team."

Tony looked to his only real friend in the group. "Bruce... back me up, here? Would you?"

"Sorry Tony, he's right."

"... You traitor." The inventor accused. "Fine, I'll go with spangles. But if somebody goes 'mysteriously' missing, I'm blaming you."

The doctor chuckled. "Fair enough. Now let's cook. I'm starving.

* * *

_Later that night..._

The six sat there, full and exhausted. Bones of the wild bore sat in a pile by the dying fire. Natasha and Thor had spent the last two hours building a make-shift shelters from the parts of the jet, so they were especially spent. They'd built Clint's around him, since everyone was afraid to move the poor archer. There were five shelters in all.

Now they had the task of dividing up the thermal blankets.

"Okay, there are five, so somebody is going to have to pair up."

The four men looked to one another uncomfortably. Natasha recognized their expressions immediately. "Oh get over it, you homophobes." She snapped.

It was pretty much decided that both Clint and Natasha were sleeping alone. Especially since Natasha had slipped out of her smothering leather get-up. She stalked off to her 'room', leaving the others to decide who buddied up.

Thor seized a blanket before anybody could stop him, and ran like the wind to a shelter, laughing triumphantly all the way. So that left Steve, Tony, and Bruce. Suddenly an idea came to Tony's mind.

"Uh... I kind of have a built-in nightlight... so... don't want to keep anybody up." He inched over towards the remaining two, before Steve grabbed his hand.

"Oh no you don't."

"What? You wanna snuggle with me, old man?" He taunted.

"No. I just want this to be deliberated fair and square."

"Fair and- Rogers, this isn't an elementary school sports event! This is _survival!"_

"I know that, Stark. But unlike some people, I don't put myself first."

"Oh please, you don't to share anymore than I do!" Tony accused.

"Maybe so, but-"

"ALRIGHT, ENOUGH!" Bruce stood up, breaking up the impending argument. "Tony, you sleep with me tonight, got it?"

"Aw... that's sweet. I don't think I feel that way about you, though."

He rolled his eyes, grabbing Tony by the collar of his shirt. "Come on." Bruce egged, tossing the blanket over his shoulder.

"Night, Captain." Bruce said before dragging Tony off.

Steve put his head into his hand. If this kind of thing was going to be a daily occurrence, there were going to be some long days ahead.

AUTHORS' NOTE: THANKS FOR READING! HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED! THANKS FOR SUPPORTING!


	3. Chapter 3

Tony was awakened by a sudden, neat violent shaking. He sat bolt-upright, unsure of what the fuck was going on. Bruce, lying as far away from the genius as possible, luckily didn't stir. "Get up." A low voice commanded.

Tony rubbed his eyes, groaning.

"Spangles? What..."

"-I said get up, Stark. We need to head out." He interrupted.

Despite Tony's narcissism, he wasn't stupid enough to think he could just ignore Steve's commands. Either he got up or he was dragged out by force. So, after stretching, Tony crawled out of his little shelter. Steve, much like Natasha, had discarded his smothering uniform, trading it in for a pair of cut-off khaki's he'd packed. Steve was shirtless though, four canteens strung over his shoulder. The man looked ready to hike.

Tony wasn't too keen on this idea. He looked out towards the ocean. The sun had barely risen, and the sky was still a hazy pinkish orange. It was beautiful being reflected over the calm ocean, but still...

"Cap, maybe things were different in the military, but regular people don't wake up at the ass-crack of dawn. Why the HELL did you get me up at this hour?"

Steve crossed his arms. "Don't be a baby, Stark. We're going out to explore the island and bring back some water."

"NOW? Did that crash loosen a few screws up there?"

Sighed, the soldier took two of the canteens from his shoulder and thrust them in Tony's direction. "We're going, Tony. End of discussion."

"No. I want a fucking explanation. What gave you the brilliant idea of trekking through a jungle at five in the morning?!"

"We need to leave now before it gets unbearably hot. Now unless you want a heat-stroke, I suggest we get moving."

Tony glared, irritated with the golden boy as always. Ugh, it was TOO early for this. But, knowing he probably had no choice, he resigned. And with that, the two began their long hike through the wilderness.

* * *

_Noon..._

"OW! Goddamn it, Tony!" Steve snapped as the palm frawn whacked him in the face.

Tony was ahead, pulling back the branches and vines that kept hindering their progress. Under his breath, the inventor snickered. "Aw, did you just curse? I'm finally rubbing off on you!"

"I was in the army, jackass. Of course I curse! Just because I learned self-restraint when in public, unlike you, doesn't mean I'm some innocent little sissy!"

"That's debatable." Tony muttered.

Steve, now quite past his normal level of collective calmness, swung an empty canteen and hit Stark in the back of the head. Due to his extreme amount of strength, this was more painful than anybody else could have made it... except for Thor. After the sudden agony subsided, Tony whipped around, eyes full of intense, burning anger.

"Anything you wanna say, _Captain_?" He hissed through grit teeth.

Steve shrugged nonchalantly, an uncharacteristically sly grin spread over his face. Maybe too much time with Stark WAS rubbing off on him. A _terrifying_ thought.

"Absolutely nothing."

Tony narrowed his eyes, turning away from the super-soldier. "Ass." Steve commented.

"Prick." The genius shot back.

As one could tell, they were getting on each others' nerves. Pretty much since the moment they met, their entire communications... outside the battlefield... consisted of insulting, threatening and the occasional fist-fight. And never had they been forced into spending this much time alone together. So naturally, tensions were running pretty high.

And in retrospect, this was probably a really stupid decision. Steve would have much preferred Natasha's company, mainly because they could have a normal conversation, even joke around a bit. In a sense, they'd become friends. Things would have been much easier with her around.

Tony of course would have opted for Bruce. They'd been best friends since day one. Hell, HOUR one. Even though Bruce was still battling that little green problem of his, Tony never minded. It would be a much better alternative than being saddled with Freezer Pop.

But, for the sake of survival, the two just shut up and did their jobs. Mentally, Tony had been documenting all the species they'd come across. In the beginning, there was a family of lemurs, of what sub-species Tony couldn't determine. Not his area of science. There had been a few tarantulas, one of which had crawled up Steve's leg. The soldier rushed to shake it off and stomp it to death, though not without a little comical freak-out first.

"_Get it off! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF ME!"_

Surprisingly enough, Captain America had a phobia of spiders. Who'da thought? Tony reminded himself to use that for later evil pranks. Aside from that, there were a few butterflies, mosquitos, and-

"GAH!" Tony yelped.

He was face to face with what could only be an anaconda. The genius jumped back a couple steps, and ended up falling on his ass. Steve couldn't help but go into a laughing fit.

"It's not FUCKING FUNNY, Rogers!"

"Ye- yes it is!" He managed, doubling over. "What, are you afraid of a little serpent?" He taunted after recovering his breath.

"THAT'S A HUGE FUCKING SNAKE!"

"Oh, is the fearless Iron Man scared of reptiles?"

Tony finally got up, wiping the dirt from his jeans. "Calling the kettle black, Rogers? Remember: 'oh help me I'm Captain Bravery pissing my panties over a little spider on my leg!'"

Before he even had time to laugh at his own joke, Steve was tackling him. "YOU'RE DEAD, STARK!" He shouted as they tumbled down a sudden drop.

It was as if they didn't even notice. Punches were thrown, stomachs kicked, and hair being nearly ripped out of each others heads. The rough ground below was already giving them a good beating, but they didn't care. Yeah, doing this together was probably the worst idea in history. And as soon as they reached the bottom of the drop...

_SPLASH!_

The men landed straight in a giant lake. Cool, refreshing water washed over their sweating and dirtied forms. All anger was forgotten. Tony and Steve looked at one another, their breathing labored and their bodies battered.

"WOO-HOO!" They shouted in joy.

None of the six Avengers had anything to drink in over twenty four hours, so this was a god-send. Each took mouthfuls of fresh water, gulping it down and splashing it in the air. Hell, the normally quarrelsome (to put mildly) duo high-fived. Not even a deeply rooted hatred could overcome the joy of fresh, life giving H20.

Quickly the two filled their canteens, knowing the others needed water just as badly as they did a moment ago.

"Come on, let's get back to base." Steve said, a smile replacing his grimace.

"Right behind ya, Cap."

* * *

It was after sunset by the time Tony and Steve returned. Their clothes had dried, and they'd even snagged some bananas on the way back. Tony appeared first, holding the four filled canteens triumphantly over his head.

"We have water, people!" He called.

All the others turned just in time to see Steve emerge with the notably large bundle of bananas. Everyone cheered as the two came running back. Natasha was the first to grab a container, immediately taking a good swig before giving some to Clint. The archer, though in a lot of pain, smiled.

"Ah, the triumphant return. And they haven't killed one another!" He chuckled.

"You owe me ten bucks, Nat."

The redhead shot him an amused smile. "Hey now, we have to wait until we get out of here. If they don't strangle one anther in their sleep by the time we're rescued, _then _we'll see about that bet money."

"You're on." He raised his hand, with much effort, to make it official.

Again, they all gathered around the fire to eat. Luckily they had enough fruit to last them a couple meals, so they wouldn't be hungry tomorrow. When Natasha had gone fishing earlier, the waters seemed to be devoid of any sea-life. For now, things were looking up. Everyone was too exhausted for anything right now, so the report on Tony and Steve's findings would have to wait until tomorrow.

Tonight it was Bruce and Thor who shared a blanket. Everyone knew it was in the best interest of the whole team if Tony and Steve NEVER share that close of a space. EVER.

Plus, it was good to rotate how things were divided up. If they learned to split and divide things equally, the Superheros might just survive this.

AUTHORS' NOTE: SO I HOPE YOU ALL LIKED! THANKS FOR READING AND SUPPORTING!

P.S.: IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE EARLY TO SAY THIS, BUT I HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR YOU REVEIEWERS. I WANT YOU GUYS TO DECIDE HOW THINGS GO. I MEAN BY THEIR RELATIONSHIPS, THAT IS. WHO GETS TOGETHER? WHO'S TORN APART?

WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK? IS THAT COOL... OR A STUPID IDEA?


	4. Chapter 4

_A few Days Later..._

Clint had been on his ass for about six days now. And it was. Driving. Him. Nuts. He hated not being productive or useful. While Thor was normally bringing back all the food, Steve was making the water trips. Bruce and Tony had spent these past few days discussing theories on where they were, Tony having gone back out a few times to find more animal life. All the while, a certain redhead was waiting on him hand and foot. Being so overprotective that it was almost funny.

The deadly assassin playing nurse. She had refused to leave 'base' as they had so dubbed it, since they'd crashed.

"Natasha, I don't need you to babysit me." Clint complained as she handed him a canteen. "I'm a grown man."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "You've got a broken leg and there are no medical supplies around. Yes I do."

Clint looked around, searching for anybody that happened to be in listening range. Tony was discussing the different creatures he'd documented with Bruce and Steve, all three deeply involved in their conversation. Thor, luckily, was walking past carrying a bundle of dead snake.

"Thor!" Clint called.

"Yes?"

"Tell Nat that I don't need a babysitter! Talk some sense into her and make her see that I'm not helpless!"

The god was unsure of what to do, looking back and forth between the assassins. Clint's eyes were pleading, while Natasha was staring Thor down. Thor, being far from stupid, could tell what she was thinking. And it was something along the lines of 'don't-you-fucking-back-him-up'. And, despite his mostly fearless nature, the god was not about to go against Natasha Romanoff.

He compared her to Lady Sif, in both her fighting skills and fear-inspiring personality. This was not a woman to be trifled with.

"Oh look at this! I still need to prepare this serpent for tonight's dinner! Good luck to you, my friend!" And with that, he ran off as quickly as possible.

"God damn it." Clint hissed.

Natasha shot him a triumphant smirk. It was then that the other three hero's ran over, expressions all mirroring one another in hopelessness.

"Hey guys, what's up? Can somebody please tell Na-"

"No time for that, Robin hood. We've got bigger problems." Tony interrupted. "THOR, GET OVER HERE!" He called.

The god dropped the gutted snake and joined the rest of the group.

"What is going on, comrades?" He asked.

"As I just said, we have a huge fucking problem."

Natasha was the one to speak next. "Hold on! What the hell are you talking about, Stark?"

Tony gestured to Bruce, who was running his fingers through his disheveled hair. "I- I think this island may be uncharted."

Everyone suddenly got very quiet. If this island was uncharted, that meant they had a whole new level of trouble on their hands. Not only would they not know where they were... and that WAS a huge issue... but nobody else would know, either.

Thor, not being familiar with the term, was confused. "What does 'uncharted' mean? How is this going to be a problem for us?"

Steve took the liberty of explaining. "It means this island has never been documented by other people. Technically it's undiscovered, so... nobody is going to look for us here. We'd be off the known maps."

"Long and short of it, we're screwed." Tony summed it up.

"Whoa, whoa. Let's not get carried away here." Bruce spoke up. "It's just a theory for now. We don't know for sure."

"Guys." Clint called.

"But it IS a strong possibility, you said it yourself."

"Guys?"

"Even so, we aren't positive-"

"HEY!" The archer finally yelled, getting their attention. "Thank you! Now I may be out of commission as far as walking goes, but I think I still have a say in things! That crash didn't fuck up any other part of my body, you know. So I want to know, what led you to this conclusion?"

Bruce and Tony looked to one another. "I'll explain this one." Tony offered.

"You see, we've been discussing the species I've been documenting. And the three of us noticed something."

"What would that be?" Clint crossed his arms.

"Okay, well the lemurs I saw are usually found in Madagascar, right? So we thought maybe THAT'S where we are. But of course that would be way off course. Then there was the anaconda. Usually found in the Amazon. Then of course the bores, which would be found somewhere like the Galapagos or Hawaii."

Everybody else seemed to be getting impatient.

"So... your point IS?" Natasha urged.

"None of these species should be on the same island together! Unless, of course..." Tony began.

"This is an undiscovered island!" Steve finished.

"Well shit!" Clint yelled. "We really ARE fucked!"

* * *

_Late That Night..._

The fire had long since diminished, and the Avengers had gone to bed. All except one. Sitting far away from the base, staring out over the water, was none other than Natasha Romanoff. The cool water splashed over her bare feet, washing away the sand that clung to them. She sat with her knees brought up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs.

Natasha looked out over the ocean, the high moon reflecting everything in a ghostly, eerie white. Cold wind tormented her mostly exposed skin, but she didn't care. Right now, more than anything, the assassin wanted to be alone.

Of course, one couldn't always get what they desired. It seemed as though she wasn't the only one up. Out from the furthermost shelter, Steve popped out. Thor's intense snoring was keeping the soldier up. Maybe a stroll by the ocean would do him some good. Steve padded down to the shoreline, listening the sound of crashing waves, the sweet smell of saltwater intoxicating.

But something caught his eye. A hunched over form, about twenty feet from where he was standing. Steve immediately went over to investigate.

"Natasha?" He spoke uncertainly as he arrived by her side.

She looked up. Steve immediately knew something was wrong. Her expression was far different than anything Steve had seen before. Pensive, quiet... venerable. The soldier plopped down beside her.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." She replied softly, keeping her eyes locked on the water.

Steve pulled her head to face him. "Tell me the truth, Natasha."

She sighed. "I'm worried."

"We all are." Steve replied.

"NO. I mean I'm really worried about Clint. Bruce checked on his leg the day after you and Tony went to the lake..." She stopped.

"And?"

"He's getting worse. The leg looks infected." She blinked rapidly, possibly fighting back tears. "And if Bruce's theory is correct... he might not get medical attention in time."

"Is that why you've been sticking so close to him?" Steve asked.

She nodded silently, face solemn. The soldier wasn't really sure what to do. Natasha was his friend, co-worker. He didn't know how to comfort the mostly emotionless assassin. Was there something he could say? Do? Anything?

After a few minutes of quiet, Steve tried to say something re-assuring.

"SHIELD is probably looking for us right now. We're their response team... we're public symbols. Even though Fury might hate us sometimes, I'm sure he's got people searching. We'll be found in no time with his kind of determination."

This didn't seem to sooth her. Natasha just stared blankly back at the ocean, sighing. Steve thought for a minute. What was his next move? His eyes drifted down to her hands, now resting lazily on the sand. Steve slipped one of his own hands down, and intertwined it with hers.

"It's going to be okay, Natasha."

"Mm." She replied.

Still holding her hand, Steve stood up. "Come on, it's cold out here. Let's get back to base."

He pulled Natasha to her feet, walking her all the way back to the semi-circle of shelters. They stopped in front of Clint's hut. "Why don't you sleep next to him?"

"His leg-" She started.

"-Will be fine. Come on, he needs somebody to keep him warm. And you do to." He urged.

Natasha mock-smiled. "Are you just kicking me out of my house?"

"Never underestimate the power of Thor's snoring." Steve replied with a chuckle.

Rolling her eyes indignantly, Natasha crouched down and crawled into the shelter. Steve walked away, headed for the now empty hut Natasha left behind. It was nice to sleep alone, he had to admit.

Meanwhile, the redhead was wiggling under the thermal blanket. Clint was sound asleep, eyes already darting beneath their lids. Natasha gave a rare little smile towards her slumbering comrade. She slinked an arm around his waist, head resting against his chest. And this seemed to stir the archer a bit. Because a couple seconds later, Natasha felt an arm wrap around her, pulling the assassin close.

_God, please let SHIELD get here in time,_ she thought nervously.

AUTHORS' NOTE: SO I HOPED YOU ALL LIKED! FORGIVE ME IF ANYBODY WAS OUT OF CHARACTER OR IF I GOT MY GEOGRAPHY/ANIMAL INHABITANCE MIXED UP.

ANYWAY, SO AS FAR AS REQUESTS, I GOT ONE CLINTASHA AND ONE STASHA (STEVE/NATASHA). I TRIED TO DO A LITTLE OF BOTH TO BE FAIR. :) THOUGH TO BE HONEST, I'M LEANING TOWARDS CLINTASHA.

ANY OTHER SHIPS YOU GUYS WANT? FIGHTS?

THANKS FOR READING! HOPE THIS WAS ALRIGHT!


	5. Chapter 5

"Let me get this straight..." Fury began, pacing about the conference table. "... You mean to tell me that not ONLY have we lost Earths' last defense against attack, but we also can't FIND them! With all our equipment, technology, tracking devices... and you people mean to tell me you've come up with nothing!"

Slamming his fist against the table, Fury stood with a death-glare. And to all the SHIELD agents there, it was absolutely piss-your-pants terrifying. Nick Fury in a good mood was intimidating, a bad mood was scary enough on its own. But to see the man actually, legitimately pissed off, was an experience that the agents wouldn't wish on anybody but Loki.

Hell, most of the time, even when Nick was angry, he was calm about it. Just somebody not to be trifled with. This was a whole new level of furious.

"We're sorry sir, we've been looking around the clock-" One of the younger agents tried to assure.

Coulson and Hill were sitting quietly in the background, knowing it was best to be quiet at the moment and let the rookies take the heat. It sounded cruel, but hey, that's the real world for you.

"OH, you're sorry?!" Fury interrupted. "Try apologizing to Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries! The richest man in the western world is missing, and all you have to say is SORRY?" He paused, good eye near bulging out.

"Try apologizing to ODIN, Thor's father and king of Asgard. Can you imagine the consequences if he found out Thor was suddenly GONE!?"

The five young agents sank back into their chairs, as if trying to slink under the table for cover. "Do you know who else is now MIA? Captain FUCKING America, the beloved Icon of the nation, two of our best assassins, and a man who can turn into a monster at any moment!"

Everybody was aware of the consequences. The heros were missing, and the situation down in Great Britain was getting worse. Buckingham Palace was in ruins, Liverpool was destroyed, and the wild weather was making its way further into Europe. Nobody was sure how she did it, but the bitch somehow took down the Avengers.

Now they were pretty much screwed. Every branch of SHIELD had been searching for nearly two weeks, without one iota of the missing Icons of hope.

"Sir, is it possible that Loki might have some role in this?" An agent named Ward asked. "Perhaps he contacted Anderson after his escape, using his err... magic... to locate the Avengers... and took them down?"

"It's something we're seriously considering, yes." Fury confirmed.

"Then maybe he has a hand in their disappearance from our radar. A- a cloaking device, perhaps?"

Fury thought about this. "If so, then where do we start in discovering this cloaking device?"

"We don't know, Sir. After all, this is just speculation. For all we know, the Avengers could be dea-"

"DON'T." Coulson warned. "Don't say that. We cannot be sure of anything."

"That's right." Fury responded. "We can't. So I want somebody to get working on locating whatever Loki might be using to hide the team from us." The agents all stared at Nick, ready to listen to whatever he was going to say next.

"NOW!" He commanded.

Didn't have to tell them twice. Everybody cleared out, leaving the incredibly stressed director to soak in his own frustration.

* * *

_On Asgard..._

Odin, quite frankly, was worried. For over two weeks, Heimdal had not seen or heard anything regarding Thor... or Loki. It was as if they'd both disappeared from existence. Frigga had been inconsolable, fearing now for the lives of both her beloved children. Odin wished greatly that she could find some comfort. The woman had been put through quite enough in these past months.

Despite popular belief, Odin was not heartless. He loved his wife and sons greatly... even Loki, after all he'd done. It hurt Odin to the core hearing of Loki's escape, his many betrayals. Now the child his wife had borne was missing, and tore at what little there was left in his sanity.

The King sat on his lonely throne, wondering how to remedy this. He was having a conversation with the gatekeeper, trying to figure this situation out.

"Perhaps it is Loki's doing that Thor has not been located. Nor any of his comrades."

"How do you mean?" Odin asked with great curiosity.

"Loki seems to have some sort of cloaking magic. He employed it when he betrayed us the first time, masking himself in Jotunheim. Perhaps he had used it to hide Thor from my gaze."

Odin considered this.

"What are we to do?"

"Consult the spell books in the library?" Heimdal suggested. "Frigga is skilled in the arts, she might be able to undo whatever trickery Loki had used."

Odin sighed, resting his head against his hand. He was tired. Age had become quite a burden, making the wise King weak with stress and worry. "I would hate to put her under more stress than she already is. Frigga has been quite distraught as of late."

"Maybe the prospect of doing something that could aid in finding her lost son would do her some good." Heimdal replied.

"Perhaps you are right. I will discuss this with her." The king paused. "You are dismissed, Heimdal. Do alert me if there is any luck in your search."

The gatekeeper bowed. "Yes my King." And with that, the golden-clad Asgardian strode away.

Odin tried not think of the worst. Thor, with all his strength, could not possibly have perished. He was not in his mortal form, it was impossible! Still, Odin could not help but feel uncertainty and fear creep into his weary mind.

_Please let my son be alright,_ he thought worriedly.

AUTHORS' NOTE: JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO SEE THE SEARCH PARTIES' SIDE OF THINGS. AND ALSO, DON'T THINK YOU KNOW WHERE THIS STORY IS GOING. I HAVE IT PLANNED OUT. WHO KNOWS, I MAY SURPRISE YOU. OR NOT. HOPE IT WASN'T TOO OOC. LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S SOMETHING I NEED TO IMPROVE UPON.

P.S. IN REGARDS TO THE SHIPS: *SIGH* ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, STASHA IT IS. IT WAS THREE TO TWO ON THAT DEBATE. SORRY CLINTASHA FANS. I ALSO GOT A VOTE FOR BRUCE/TONY. I'LL DO THAT TOO IF NOBODY OBJECTS. (ALSO, IF IT WERE UP TO ME, I WOULD HAVE GONE WITH STONY AND CLINTASHA. BUT HEY, I SAID YOU GUYS WERE TO DECIDE.)


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